Monday, October 10, 2011

Swedish M/40 Mess Kit, Simmer Ring for Svea-Trangia Alcohol Stove

Sweet Pea and I made another trip up to Whidbey Island the other day and stopped in at the historic town of Coupville for a little lunch............field kitchen style!  We cooked up a pot of lentil soup and made an espresso on our little Swedish M/40 Mess Kit and Stove. 


Lunch was great and cooked up fast, and the only improvement to the Svea stove that I could see, was the need for a simmer ring to damper down the flame on the little alcohol burner.  Today I slipped into the "workshop" and made up my own version of a Svea-Trangia alcohol stove simmer ring. (No simmer rings were originally made for these military versions of the Svea and Trangia alcohol stoves).


I picked up a used, stainless steel insulated cup at the local Goodwill, and then broke off all of the plastic (base, top and insides), and then, using a pair of tin snips, I cut off the bottom to form the cylinder of my simmer ring.  I left a tab on the top edge that I later bent over to form the pivot mount.  I cut a disc out of heavy brass and then drilled a slightly over-sized hole in the brass plate and pivot tab.  I hand riveted the two together, making sure that the rivet was a bit loose to let the top plate move smoothly.


I fired up the stove in the back yard to give it a try.  It works perfectly!  The simmer plate can be adjusted using the tip of a knife, fork, stick, etc.  The flame can now be adjusted from barely there, to full on blazing!  The Swedish M/40 mess kit is now a fully functional camping set up, ready for some precision gourmet cooking..........


I also made up a short wooden handle to use with the small cup-lid on the mess kit.  As you can see from the pictures, I tapered it to fit and cut it just short enough to fit inside the mess tin with the lid on (for storage).  Another great improvement to the stove set up.

5 comments:

M55q said...

Ahh yes, good improvements. I use whatever sticks I can find to lift the pot of the stove, but I think I should try to make a more permanent solution. Like yours.

chase said...

Hi.

I have just the jet burner which I use with a folding aluminum sterno stove. This burner works great for boiling water but it needs the simmer plate for anything that doesn't need it turned up to high. Such as percolating some coffee, or frying a hamburger.

I've seen some of these Swedish jet burners with a simmer plate sold online, must newer version than mine (or your burner) So I'm glad I stumbled into your blog.

Thanks for sharing your simmer mod. It's just what I need for my burner.

A mod I did was to make a wrap for the sides and bottom and act as an insulator so I wouldn't burn my fingers after extinguishing the flame. You can use a decently thick string and just wrap it with that. That's what I did at first, then I upgraded that to the material used for a welding cloth. Don't use nylon or polyester if using string or cord to wrap it, I'd think it would melt.

Again thanks for sharing.

Sharky said...

Thanks for sharing your tips on these great stoves! I really wish there was a good source here in the States to pick up more of these, but unfortunately I think we're back to the dreaded eBay for finding more of these great old stoves!

Unknown said...

Great ideas ! And thank you for sharing! I have the same svea as yours , and I'd like to replace the gasket, or at least have a spare gasket. Any idea where I can find them? . I also have a couple modifications I have made, I would like to share. In addition to my svea 64 , I have a trangia 25 hole stove. If you get a foam beer coozy and cut it down to be just a little deeper than the stove itself (it fits perfectly snug and really helps things from rattling around) , you can put a chemical hand or foot warmer in that extra space and keep your methanol a lot warmer and easier to work with in cold temperatures. I have a question for you about your windscreen. It is the only piece of my set that does not have the three crowns on it. Does your windscreen ? Oh and lastly , those leather straps you use , can you point me in the right direction? Look forward to your response. Paul

Sharky said...

Thanks for sharing some of your mod's and improvements! These stoves are outstanding and with a little ingenuity they just get better. First off, "Yes" my windscreen does have the three crowns, but I don't know if they all do.......... I know there are some reproductions being made these days that are nearly exact knock-offs, but I've never actually seen on in person. I have purchased several bundles of leather straps, from several different countries, from "The Sportsman's Guide" online. They have outstanding prices and the best surplus around! Keep checking if they don't have any listed, they get new stock all the time.